House Commerce Committee Chmn. Tauzin (R-La.) has focused on orga...
House Commerce Committee Chmn. Tauzin (R-La.) has focused on organizing committee, filling staff vacancies and setting legislative agenda rather than rushing into reintroduction of last session’s HR-2420, which would streamline regulation of Bell company data services, his spokesman Ken…
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Johnson said. Johnson acknowledged that some observers this year had expected Tauzin, who co-sponsored HR-2420 with ranking Democrat Rep. Dingell (Mich.), to move similar bill immediately. However, Tauzin is only 60 days into new chairmanship and isn’t going to be “one- issue” leader, he said. “The big thing is, we've been moving bills and processing legislation,” Johnson said. No date has been set, but bill could be introduced “in a few weeks.” He reiterated position (CD March 2 p4) that bill probably would be same as last year’s version. Another Congressional source said House leadership had been putting pressure on all committees to move legislation to floor quickly, but without prioritizing this or any other bills. USTA spokesman said Tauzin and Dingell probably weren’t attempting to reinvent HR-2024, which last year had 224 co-sponsors, but could be drumming up comparable level of support before reintroducing bill. Competition Policy Institute Exec. Dir. Debra Berlyn said group this year expected to see more Bell companies file applications for relief from Telecom Act’s Sec. 271 obligations that, if approved, could “reduce necessity for LATA relief legislation” on Hill.